A fictionalized retelling of the Jonestown Massacre through the victims’ perspectives.
Through masterful storytelling, Annie Dawid paints a picture of the faces and the inner-workings behind one of the world’s deadliest cults. The poor, the miserable, the alienated and disenfranchised, who were led to a commune in the jungle of British Guyana by the promise of equality and utopia.
But this Eden too has its serpent. One who is also jealous of God. And where he goes, everyone must follow, even to the grave.
Paradise Undone is told through four voices. Two real, and two fictional:
- Marceline Baldwin Jones: A shy pastor’s daughter who founded the Peoples Temple alongside her infamous husband, Jim Jones.
- Virgil Nascimento: Guyana’s US Ambassador, haunted by personal demons from witnessing the unraveling of paradise.
- Watts Freeman: Who, many years later, tells the story of his journey from salvation to survival.
- Truth Miller: A devoted disciple, still trapped by the unwavering spell of Jim Jones after the fallout.
A must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the psychology behind cult mentality.
Diane –
I finished this book last week and cannot stop thinking about it. Those babies… I wonder how I would fare in that situation